Category: Nonfiction

The Regency Years: During Which Jane Austen Writes, Napoleon Fights, Byron Makes Love, and Britain Becomes Modern, by Robert Morrison — A Review

The Regency Years, by Robert Morrison (2019)

From the desk of Tracy Hickman: The subtitle for Robert Morrison’s history of Regency Great Britain, “during which Jane Austen writes, Napoleon fights, Byron makes love, and Britain becomes modern,” hints at the variety and diversity within its pages. In contrast to Jane Austen’s tightly focused fiction, famously self-described as “three or four families in... Continue Reading →

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The Making of Jane Austen, by Devoney Looser—A Review

From the desk of Katie Patchell: I remember what I felt when I discovered that Jane Austen was not famous in her lifetime: Outright shock. I had been a self-proclaimed Janeite for years when I discovered this fact. I had read her books multiple times, collected movie adaptations, researched and written papers about her novels... Continue Reading →

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Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life, by Lucy Worsley – A Review

Just in time for the premiere on 13 January 2019 of the third season of Victoria on Masterpiece Classic on PBS, Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life is a new biography of one of the United Kingdom's (and the world's) most famous queens. Arriving like a gift on a royal red velvet cushion,... Continue Reading →

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Austenprose’s Favorite Books of 2018

The Best Books of 2018 are summarized and spotlighted by Jane Austen and historical fiction authority Laurel Ann Nattress, editor of Austenprose.com

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A Jane Austen Christmas: Celebrating the Season of Romance, Ribbons & Mistletoe, by Carlo DeVito – A Review

From the desk of Lisa Galek: If you’ve ever wondered how your favorite author celebrated Christmas in the 18th century—or just know someone who has—A Jane Austen Christmas: Celebrating the Season of Romance, Ribbons, and Mistletoe by Carlo DeVito is the perfect package to place under the tree this holiday. A Journey Through Austen's Christmas... Continue Reading →

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Downton Abbey – A Celebration: The Official Companion to All Six Seasons, by Jessica Fellowes – A Review

“It’s that time of year when the world falls in love” … with Downton Abbey all over again. The final season starts in less than one month on Masterpiece Classic PBS on January 3, 2016. My anticipation of another season of great drama, romance, and witty retorts runs high. I am, of course, paraphrasing The... Continue Reading →

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The Wit and Wisdom of Downton Abbey, by Jessica Fellowes – A Review

Will we ever be able to explain the phenomenon that is the television series, Downton Abbey? Watched by millions and showered with awards, I find the reason for its success as elusive to pinpoint as Jane Austen’s lasting appeal. It means so much to so many. In two hundred years' time will people be watching... Continue Reading →

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As If!: The Oral History of Clueless as Told by Amy Heckerling, the Cast, and the Crew, by Jen Chaney – A Review

From the desk of Lisa Galek: In July of 1995, I had just turned 15 when my high school girlfriends suggested we go see the new movie Clueless. At the time, I didn’t know that writer/director Amy Heckerling had based the plot of her movie about a pretty, rich girl from Beverly Hills on Jane... Continue Reading →

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Jane Austen’s Names: Riddles, Persons, Places, by Margaret Doody – A Review

From the desk of Br. Paul Byrd, OP: “Historical allusions abound in [Austen’s] fiction--they are part of the consciousness of each novel in itself. Combinations of place names and personal names point both back and forward. Or rather, references and images are more than just allusions; we find we are within history all the time.... Continue Reading →

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Fan Phenomena: Jane Austen, edited by Gabrielle Malcolm – A Review

From the desk of Tracy Hickman: Jane Austen fans cannot be filed neatly into a single category any more than Austen’s works can be limited to one literary genre. How might an editor attempt to do justice to the multiplicity of Janeite fandom in a slim volume of essays and interviews? This question was uppermost... Continue Reading →

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Shakespeare Basics for Grown-Ups: Everything You Need to Know About the Bard, by E. Foley and B. Coates – A Review

From the desk of Br. Paul Byrd, OP: “We [the authors] don’t claim to be Shakespeare scholars; we are ordinary readers who were curious to learn more about our greatest national poet, and we became passionate about passing on the most interesting facts we discovered. The aim of this book is to give a solid... Continue Reading →

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The Beau Monde: Fashionable Society in Georgian London, by Hannah Greig – A Review

From the desk of Tracy Hickman: Several recent histories have popularized Georgian England as “The Age of Scandal” with members of the beau monde starring in colorful “stories of gambling, adultery, high spending, and fast living” (30). Author, lecturer in 18th-century British history, and historical consultant Hannah Greig takes an alternate approach in The Beau... Continue Reading →

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